Lincoln's Cystic Acne
by Jemascola
Summary: Lincoln tries to avoid being disowned for his secret cystic acne before a water park vacation.
1. Chapter 1

**Lincoln's Cystic Acne**

 _ **By Joe**_

 **Summary:** Lincoln tries to avoid being disowned for his secret cystic acne before a water park vacation.

 **Author Notes:** I do not own _The Loud House_ , its characters, or any other copyrighted material. I wrote this solely for entertainment purposes and not to make a profit.

 **Chapter 1**

It was a sunny Saturday morning in early June – the first day of summer for the Loud kids. As they woke up, they were all very excited and happy – eager to start enjoying their three-month vacation from school – that is, all the Loud kids except Lincoln. Normally, Lincoln, like his sisters, was thrilled at the idea of summer vacation. He would spend hours reading Ace Savvy comics, watching _ARGGH!_ with his best friend Clyde McBride, and on the years when the family could afford it, go on a summer vacation. However, Lincoln was in a very sour mood as this summer began. He waited for his siblings to finish using the bathroom, and finally, once the upstairs was silent – indicating that the coast was clear, he left his closet bedroom for the bathroom and locked the door.

Lincoln looked in the mirror, and his pale face and hair stared back at him. His pale complexion and bags under his eyes made him look really depressed, but he otherwise looked okay. He then reluctantly unbuttoned his orange pajama top and opened it up. A whimper escaped Lincoln's throat as he stared in horror at his chest. What appeared to be hundreds of bright-red pimples clearly contrasted with Lincoln's pale white chest. He even had several large cysts – and some pimples had even started migrating down to his stomach. _**His stomach!**_ _**Whoever got acne on their**_ _ **stomach**_ _ **of all places?**_ Lincoln turned around, pulled down his pajama top, and looked at his back, which had countless dark red scabs, giant red cysts, and small pink pimples. His back – and even his chest and stomach – looked like a disgusting pizza.

Lincoln whimpered again as he buttoned up his pajama top. He felt both helpless and enraged. His newest acne medication was yet another miserable failure! Not only had it not worked, but Lincoln seemed to get _more_ pimples – and in really weird places. Lincoln just wanted to take a sledgehammer and smash the bathroom sink in fury. He had tried countless acne medications, and NOTHING had worked. It was so unfair – especially since he had such severe, incurable acne at only ELEVEN years of age.

Lincoln sighed and then trudged back down the hall to his bedroom – where he changed clothes – avoiding looking at his pimply chest and stomach in the process, of course. Lincoln put on his typical orange shirt and blue jeans – and then sulked as he went down the stairs to join his family. As he descended the stairs, he saw his three oldest sisters, Lori, Leni, and Luna – aged seventeen, sixteen, and fifteen respectively, sitting on the couch in the living room – either watching TV or using their smartphones. He then heard six-year-old pageant queen Lola's ear-piercing scream as she ran across the living room – chased by her twin sister Lana, who was carrying a slimy frog. This briefly caught the attention of Lori, Leni, and Luna – until both Lola and Lana raced out the front door. Many days were like this in the Loud House, so it wasn't anything that needed particular attention. Lincoln also saw something moving in the fireplace, and he figured it was eight-year-old goth Lucy, who loved to hang out in dark places.

Once downstairs, Lincoln quietly made his way to the kitchen – not in the mood for interacting with any of his sisters. Of course, avoiding all his ten sisters was always hard. Indeed, Lincoln saw his remaining sisters, Luan, Lynn, Lisa, and Lily – aged fourteen, thirteen, four, and one respectively, in the kitchen. Lynn, Lisa, and Lily were sitting at the kitchen table, while Luan was at the kitchen sink – rinsing a cheese grater.

"Good morning, Lincoln!" Luan greeted cheerfully. "Isn't the first day of summer really _GRATE?_ " Luan laughed, "Hahahahahahaha! Get it?"

Lincoln sighed in annoyance but said, "Yep, it sure is, Luan." Lincoln reached up to the top of the refrigerator, grabbed a box of Zombie Bran, and fixed himself a bowl of the cereal and a glass of orange juice. He put the cereal box back on top of the refrigerator – and then sat down with his sisters to eat.

"So, Linc, what are your plans for the summer?" Lynn asked – taking a bite of bacon from her plate. At that point, Luan joined the others at the table and started eating her cheddar waffle sandwich.

Lincoln shrugged as he took a spoonful of cereal. "I dunno. Probably going to read comics, ride bikes, and do a bunch of other stuff," he said.

"Make sure you don't have anything scheduled a month from now," Lisa said after finishing her toast. "Our parental units are going to take us on a vacation then!"

"All right!" Lincoln said excitedly – feeling better. Last summer, the Louds didn't have enough money to go on a summer vacation, so it was great that they apparently could afford one this year. "Any ideas where we're going?"

"I suggested that we go to AQUAverse, and everyone seems to like the idea. It's this really cool water park with gigantic water slides, flowriding, and Olympic-size pools where I could train in – it's SO rad!" Lynn said – enthusiasm evident by her voice, bulging eyes, and huge grin on her face. "What do you think?"

Lincoln's mood soured again. Normally, he would be enthused by going to a water park, but since he had developed horrible cystic acne over the past year, he wasn't sure that exposing his acne-ridden skin to the public and his unknowing sisters was such a great idea. However, the smiles on his other sisters' faces indicated that they were just as excited to go to the water park as Lynn was. He couldn't give a clear "yes" or "no" answer.

"Uh…gee, I don't know, Lynn. I'll have to think about it," Lincoln said apprehensively.

"Oh. Alright," Lynn said flatly – taking another bite of bacon. She was clearly taken aback since she was now staring at Lincoln as if he were turning into a tree.

As Luan spoon-fed some applesauce to Lily, Lincoln started to rest his head on his hands – but he didn't want to look overly sad or worried, so he ate his cereal as normal. As he ate, he worried about the prospect of going to AQUAverse. His skin was incredibly gross, and to make matters worse, he doubted that the park would allow him to wear a shirt – given that he had been to many public pools that forbid people from wearing shirts in the water.

Despite having horrible acne on his back, chest, and stomach, he hadn't told his sisters. Partly, it was due to the fact that it was not visible to them – and thus wasn't even their business, anyway. However, it also was due to obviously being an extremely gross and embarrassing problem. If he had some mild acne, that would have been one thing, but he had hundreds of giant, pus-filled, and crusty zits all over his skin. Even he felt disgusted by it, and he imagined that most other people would be, as well. The only other people in the Loud House to know about Lincoln's problem were, of course, his parents, who kept his problem confidential – and had been taking him to a dermatologist over the course of several months. Unfortunately, none of the treatments that Lincoln had received seemed to work, and his acne was even spreading. Lincoln was more and more frustrated. He felt that he might have to tell his sisters about his problem. Although they fought a lot, they were all one big, happy family and loved and cared about each other. Surely, they would still accept Lincoln – even if he had disgusting acne – wouldn't they?

" **UGH!** **I AM SO DONE WITH BOBBY!** " Lori's angry voice suddenly pierced through Lincoln's head. He jerked his head upward – curious to hear more about his sister's normally beloved boyfriend. " _DON'T EVER REMIND ME OF HIM, LENI!_ "

"What's wrong with him?" Leni asked innocently.

"So, I saw him mowing the grass at his house yesterday evening, right?" Lori started. "Then, all of a sudden, he takes off his sweaty shirt, and there are _LITERALLY_ hundreds of giant red zits on his back!"

" _EWW!_ " Leni and Luna exclaimed together – sounding disgusted. Lincoln felt deeply hurt by the girls' reaction.

"I know, right?" Lori agreed. "It was _SO_ disgusting. I almost threw up right then and there. As I walked home, I texted him and told him that we're through."

"I don't blame you, dude. I'd never date someone so disgusting," Luna said. As Lincoln heard that, his face grew tense.

"Yeah," Lori said. "I can't believe I was ever actually IN LOVE with him! _**Ugh…!**_ If I had known that he was so filthy and gross, I never would have dated that loser in the first place!"

Lincoln felt tears welling up in his eyes – especially as he heard both Leni and Luna voice their wholehearted agreement with Lori. His spoon clinked against his cereal bowl as he suddenly stood up and walked out of the kitchen.

"Hey, Linc, where ya going?" Luan asked. However, Lincoln had already left and didn't answer.

"Poo poo!" Lily suddenly exclaimed from her high chair – drawing surprised glances from Luan, Lynn, and Lisa.

As Lincoln approached the stairs, he felt on the verge of sobbing hysterically, so he ran upstairs to avoid catching the attention of his sisters in the living room. Once in his room, Lincoln closed and locked the door, threw himself on the bed, and cried his eyes out into his pillow. He couldn't believe that his sisters were so heartless and insensitive. He thought that they were nicer people than that. Based on their reactions to Bobby's acne, Lincoln's worst fears were confirmed: his sisters would be incredibly grossed out by his own acne, and they would likely bully and disown him – the sisters whom he thought loved him unconditionally.

Lincoln squealed and trembled – feeling absolutely hopeless. How could he cure his acne in time for the family's trip to AQUAverse? It seemed futile since even a licensed, professional dermatologist, over the course of many months, failed to cure his acne – even with powerful prescription drugs. On top of that, his oldest sisters were so uncaring and unsympathetic, and the family seemed eager to go on this vacation. Lincoln was in a terrible quandary. It seemed there was no way out for Lincoln. He clutched his stuffed rabbit, Bun-Bun, curled into a fetal position, and felt more warm tears run down his face.

After about thirty minutes, Lincoln had calmed down and was now lying on his back in bed – with Bun-Bun tucked under his right arm. Maybe this wasn't the end of the world. Maybe, somehow, it was all a big misunderstanding – as unlikely as that seemed. Maybe Lincoln's acne medications would finally kick in before the vacation. Maybe Lincoln could persuade his sisters to accept Bobby's and his condition. Maybe Lincoln could convince his parents and siblings to go somewhere else for vacation. Or maybe Lincoln could even cure his own acne.

"Yeah, that's a possibility," Lincoln said – smiling a little and sitting up in bed – growing more hopeful as he thought about curing his own acne. He had heard stories of people with various medical problems who were unable to cure their problems with conventional, professional medical treatments – but were able to cure them with non-conventional treatments. Sure, he had heard that many of those things were quite possibly pseudoscience, but he figured that he had nothing to lose – seeing as how his prescribed medications hadn't improved his acne whatsoever.

Whatever the case, even if Lincoln couldn't cure his acne himself, he had other options to prevent his sisters – and the general public – from finding out about it. Lincoln lay back on his bed and sighed. Maybe things weren't hopeless after all. Then again, his options weren't guaranteed to work, either. A substantial amount of uncertainty still lingered, and when Lincoln thought back to how gross his back, chest, and stomach looked – and how his acne had actually been spreading – and how his sisters were repulsed by Bobby's similar condition, he felt tension in his chest. All of a sudden, his brief sense of hope had been diminished.

It was a long shot, but Lincoln had to do something – anything – to keep his sisters from finding out about his acne. Based on their reaction to Bobby's acne, they could very well bully and disown him, too, which made Lincoln curl back into a fetal position, grab Bun-Bun, and start crying again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Lincoln was so distraught and depressed that he wanted to stay in his room all day, but he knew that would make his family members concerned. He didn't want to call unnecessary attention to himself, so by noon, he forced himself out of bed – and walked to the bathroom at the other end of the upstairs hall. Once inside, he closed and locked the door and stared at his somber face in the mirror. Lincoln looked down reluctantly pulled up his shirt – and felt more frustrated when he saw the many red, dark red, crusty, and pus-filled zits on his chest – and a few small pink ones on his stomach. He had seen his skin earlier, though, so he didn't act hysterically. He just sighed deeply as he pulled his shirt back down.

Lincoln wanted to go back to his room and wallow in his misery – but knew that he first had to have some face time with his family for a while. Lincoln then left the bathroom and went out into the upstairs hall. As he started to descend the stairs, he noticed that the downstairs was oddly quiet – not even the TV was on.

" _ **Lincoln Loud!**_ " snapped a voice – causing him to nearly jump. Lincoln turned his head and saw his mother, Rita, staring angrily at him from the living room.

"Yes, Mom?" Lincoln asked nervously.

"Did you not finish your Zombie Bran cereal this morning?" Rita questioned.

"Oh, yeah… I guess not." Lincoln gulped and said, "Sorry, Mom."

"If you're not going to finish your cereal, don't eat it! We can't afford to waste $4 on that unhealthy, sugary cereal. If you're not going to eat it, then we won't buy it," Rita said.

"Yes, Mom, I'm sorry," Lincoln said.

"Alright," Rita said. She then walked off to her downstairs bedroom.

Lincoln was rattled by the incident, but on the plus side, it gave him an epiphany. He had been eating that sugary Zombie Bran cereal for a long time, and he thought that he had heard that sugar could cause acne. Maybe that was his cure: abstaining from sugar. He groaned at the thought, though, since doing so would not be easy. There were so many delicious treats that he loved – and couldn't imagine parting from. Still, as bad as his acne was – and how he wished he could enjoy AQUAverse as he normally would have, he had to force himself to go on a sugar-free diet.

For now, Lincoln decided to spend some time with his sisters. He descended the stairs – and nearly ran into Leni, who came into the living room through the dining room.

"Oh, hey, Linky," Leni sweetly said with a smile. "What've you been up to?"

Lincoln shrugged. "Not much – just been reading comics," he lied. Normally, Lincoln loved Leni, but it actually pained him to see her now – knowing that she was disgusted by Bobby's bacne – and likely would be just as disgusted by his own acne. She may have been sweet to him now, but she would disown him if she knew of his own skin trouble. She almost seemed like a traitor to him since he always thought that she was one of his nicest sisters.

"Oh, okay," Leni said. "I was just going to watch some TV. Do you want to join me?"

Lincoln shrugged. "Okay, sure," he said – feigning happiness in his voice. This would give him some face time with at least one of his sisters – and would keep them from suspecting that he was bummed about anything. He also hoped that it would help him keep his mind off sugary foods. He instantly regretted thinking about them. He hadn't finished his Zombie Bran cereal, and now, he was craving sweets – yet he had to abstain to keep his acne under control.

"Focus, Lincoln, focus," he muttered to himself as Leni and he sat on the sofa. Leni kept trying to turn on the TV with the remote, but she pointed it in the wrong direction. Lincoln finally turned on the TV for her – but immediately wished that he hadn't.

"Ooh! _Dessert Storm_ is on!" Leni said excitedly. "I wonder what Linda and Tony are going to make this time." Lincoln cringed – not wanting to know.

"Today, on _Operation Dessert Storm_ , Linda will be making a white cake with vanilla frosting and gumdrops. Meanwhile, Tony will be making a cookie cake with rainbow, candy-coated chocolate chips," the announcer on TV said.

"Mmm…sounds delish!" Leni said – licking her lips.

Lincoln stared at the screen – his eyes as wide as saucers – and started salivating upon seeing scenes of the two contestants preparing their sweet, delicious desserts. How he wanted to eat both desserts so badly – or anything sugary for that matter. He hadn't finished breakfast – and was so tempted to go into the kitchen and pour himself another big bowl of Zombie Bran. However, Lincoln knew that he was caving in to his desire for sugar – and that he had to avoid it to help his acne. Watching _Dessert Storm_ would only fuel his temptations.

All of a sudden, Lincoln practically jumped off the sofa and started to make a bee line for his room. Leni watched as Lincoln abruptly left the sofa for the stairs. "Hey, Lincoln, where are you going?" she asked.

Lincoln stopped halfway up the stairs – and looked downstairs at Leni. "I…uh…just remembered that there was this cool new game at the arcade that I wanted to play," Lincoln said – rubbing the back of his neck and briefly glancing to his left.

At first, Leni looked rather perplexed – but suddenly closed her eyes and smiled. "Oh okay. Have fun, Linky!" She then turned her attention back to the TV, and Lincoln finished climbing the stairs. As he walked to his room to get his housekey, bike helmet, and arcade tokens, he stared at the floor. Leni was so nice – and such a great sister to him. He hated lying to her about the non-existent new arcade game. Lincoln felt that he didn't deserve a sister as nice as her, but then again, Leni wouldn't be nice to him if she knew about the horrific, disgusting pustules that had cropped up on his back and chest. He almost felt like bottling himself in his room again, but he already told Leni that he was going to the arcade. At least now he could wallow in his misery away from the house – and still have an "alibi" without looking suspicious. Better yet, maybe playing some games at the arcade would actually make him feel better. Once in his room, Lincoln grabbed his housekey, helmet, and tokens – and then headed back downstairs. Lincoln hadn't realized that his craving for sweets was dissipating – until he heard the TV again.

"Just look at the icing on Tony's cookie cake! It looks just as sweet as the frosting on Linda's white cake! I can't say whose dessert looks more appetizing at this point," commented the announcer on TV.

Lincoln silently yelped as he galloped down the stairs and nearly slammed the door on his way out – catching Leni's attention and making her raise an eyebrow. Meanwhile, outside, Lincoln's empty stomach was growling. His tongue longed for the sweet taste of sugary foods, and his stomach practically begged to be filled with it. Lincoln salivated – but instead breathed in the smell of Mr. Grouse's freshly-cut lawn – thankfully distracting him. Lincoln went down the porch steps, put on his helmet, hopped on his bike, and rode to Gus' Games and Grub – the local arcade and food joint.

Once at Gus' Games and Grub, Lincoln parked his bike and took off his helmet. He stood in front of the entrance, closed his eyes, and took in a deep breath – but was surprised to not smell the usual delicious scent of hot dogs and burgers cooking. Lincoln was rather surprised but shrugged and went inside the arcade. As usual, it was paradise. Dozens of arcade booths lined the walls, and lots of electronic chirping and buzzing filled the air – as well as bells ringing and various musical tunes playing. The arcade was even cooler at night – when the video arcade flashing screens and neon lights would dimly illuminate the otherwise dark arcade. However, the arcade was nice in the daytime, too, since bright sunlight shone through the many windows, and one could see the walls with its vintage '70s red, orange, yellow, and green angled stripes.

Not knowing what game to play first, Lincoln walked around and looked at some of the various games before finally settling on a car-racing game. Lincoln sat in the driver's seat. His tokens clinked as he deposited them into the appropriate slot, and then pressed a few buttons on the dashboard to get his game started – turning off the attract mode. In no time, Lincoln found himself racing among other cars – rapidly shifting gears and mashing pedals – blazing along winding roads on a faraway planet – all with a fast-paced electronic music playing in the background. Lincoln was so immersed in this virtual world that he had completely forgotten about everything that stressed him that morning.

A few hours had passed, and Lincoln had played all sorts of games – from racing games to pinball games to skeeball games to claw machines to Dance Dance Revolution. Lincoln was so immersed in the games and had become so happy that he had a smile plastered on his face – that is, until he realized that he had only one token left. Lincoln shrugged. He had killed enough time and won plenty of tickets, so he couldn't complain.

Lincoln then felt his stomach rumbling – realizing that he had barely eaten all day, so he went to the snack bar – only to find that it was closed for repairs. Dejected, Lincoln walked around the arcade to look for one more game to play with his last token. He had already played a number of games – while some he wasn't interested in.

Suddenly, a bright, glowing cabinet – somewhat obscured by a basketball game – and standing in the back corner of the arcade – caught the corner of Lincoln's right eye. Lincoln turned his full attention to the glass cabinet – lined with red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and pink neon lights. The cabinet also had translucent panels – illuminated with colorful buttons, chaser lights, and images of fruits. This was a candy-pusher game, and inside were hundreds of wrapped pieces of fruity candy. Lincoln stared agape at all the colorful pieces of hard candy inside the game. His mouth watered, and his stomach tingled. He almost inserted his last token into the game – until he remembered his horrible acne – the pink, red, and dark red pus-filled and crusty zits all over his back, chest, and stomach. Lincoln whimpered as his mouth watered at the delicious fruity candies that sparkled like jewels in a treasure chest. He briefly shut his eyes, turned around, and hurried out of the arcade. He had to avoid any temptation to eat sweets.

Once outside, Lincoln felt a lot less craving for sweets, and he heaved a sigh of relief. He then put on his helmet, got on his bike, and rode home.

After arriving back home, Lincoln leaned his bike against the front porch, took off his bike helmet, went up the porch steps, and walked inside the house. Oddly enough, things seemed quiet downstairs, and nobody was in the living room.

" _THINK FAST!_ " shouted a voice from Lincoln's right. Lincoln started to turn right before he felt a ball slam into his face. Lincoln was briefly disoriented but then saw a basketball near him on the floor. He looked up and, not surprisingly, Lynn stood in the dining room – grinning sheepishly.

"Oops. Sorry, Lincoln," Lynn apologized.

"It's all right," Lincoln snorted. He knew that Lynn didn't mean any harm, but getting suddenly hit in the face with a ball was so infuriating. He wished that Lynn had given him more time to react. In any case, his face was now burning and stinging, so he went to the kitchen, got an ice pack from the refrigerator, and went up to his room. Lincoln then lay on his bed and put the soothing, cool ice pack on his face.

Lincoln stayed in his room for a few hours – applying and removing his ice pack as needed, listening to music on his phone, and reading some Ace Savvy comics. He apparently hadn't realized how much time had passed because his eyes popped open in shock when he heard his father, Lynn Sr., call out, "DINNER'S READY!" Lincoln sat up and felt the emptiness in his stomach. His stomach felt like a vacuum – wanting to eat something – anything. As Lincoln got off his bed, he heard the stampede of his sisters – both upstairs and downstairs. Lincoln went downstairs, put the ice pack back in the refrigerator, and joined his twelve other relatives at the dining room table.

"Hey there, bro! Haven't seen much of you today," Luna said – smiling at Lincoln from across the table. A few of Lincoln's other sisters mumbled in agreement.

"Linky was at the arcade playing a new video game," Leni said. She then turned to him with a smile. "By the way, Lincoln, Tony won this time. I wish we could have had some of his cookie cake. It looked really good!" Lincoln gulped and started salivating.

Then, Lynn Sr. entered the dining room. "Okay, gang, to celebrate the start of summer, for dessert, we're all going to have…ICE CREAM!" He then showed the family a few open tubs of ice cream as everyone, except Lincoln, chattered in excitement. Lincoln stared longingly at the buckets of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, chocolate chip, and cherry ice cream. It all looked so cold, yet sweet. His eyes fixated on it, and he almost started drooling. Lincoln hadn't eaten anything all day, and he felt disappointed in himself. He wanted to avoid sweet and sugary foods to help his acne, but it was all so delicious that he just couldn't help himself. The cakes, the candies, the ice cream – he loved these foods so much that he just couldn't do without them – not to mention that Lincoln had barely eaten all day. He had to eat something…NOW. Lincoln got up and started to reach for one of the tubs of ice cream – before Lynn Sr. recoiled. "Whoa, Lincoln, hold up – this is for AFTER dinner!"

"Then what ARE we having for dinner, Pop-Star?" Luna asked.

"Well, I know you guys are tired of having goulash all the time, so since today's the first day of summer, I decided to treat us something we rarely have but all love…PIZZA!"

Immediately, everyone burst into cheers. Lana and Lola even jumped out of their chairs and danced around the table – eliciting some laughter from the others. Lincoln himself perked up – and found himself salivating at something other than sweets for once. Shortly after the announcement, the doorbell rang, and Lynn Sr. went to answer the door. The others' faces lit up more when the smell of hot pepperoni pizzas wafted into the dining room. Shortly after, Lynn Sr. brought the pizza boxes into the kitchen and set them on the table – only to be trampled on by the others, who eagerly grabbed their shares of pizza before going back to the dining room. Lincoln himself had gotten five slices of pizza, which was more than he usually ate – even on the rare occasions that the Louds did have pizza for dinner. At last, his stomach was no longer a vacuum – no longer desperate for food. Lincoln's tongue was satisfied by the delicious pepperoni and hot, gooey cheese. By the time he was finished, he didn't even want ice cream – or any other sweets. Lincoln smiled widely. Maybe he could cut sugar from his diet after all. All he had to do was keep a full stomach.

After the family members had finished their pizzas, they went to the kitchen to get ice cream. Lincoln, however, declined to get any, which made the others' eyes bulge and look at each other in shock. Lincoln almost never turned down any ice cream. He worried a little that he was calling attention to himself, but he didn't care as long as his acne went away. With a smile on his face, he proudly went up the stairs and went to his room. Lincoln spent the rest of the day watching _ARGGH!_ DVDs on his laptop.

When bedtime came, Lincoln changed into his orange pajamas – avoiding looking at his chest and stomach as usual, turned off the lights, and got into bed – hugging Bun-Bun. "Well, Bun-Bun, it looks like I might be able to do without sugar after all. And since I've been eating it all the time that I've had acne, I might finally be able to get rid of it once and for all! And I might be able to enjoy AQUAverse after all! Maybe things won't be so bad after all." Shortly afterwards, Lincoln went to sleep with a smile on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

A week and a half had passed since Lincoln started cutting sugar from his diet in order to cure his acne. Every morning and night in the bathroom, Lincoln checked his chest, stomach, and back for signs of improvement. On the first few days, Lincoln was a little disappointed that none of his pink, soft, and pus-filled pimples seemed to be crusting over. At that point, Lincoln tried not to be pessimistic. After all, it had only been a few days, so his sugar-free diet probably needed more time to work. However, as each day passed, it seemed clearer and clearer to Lincoln that abstaining from sugar wasn't making any difference at all in his skin condition. His newer pimples didn't crust over any faster than before, and by the time they had started doing so, new pimples just popped up elsewhere. With each day that passed, Lincoln felt more and more disappointment and frustration – and started spending at least two hours each day bottled up in his room. One Wednesday morning, Lincoln unbuttoned his pajama top – only to find a giant, pink pimple just above his belly button greeting him in the mirror. Unlike the goosebump-sized pimples from past weeks, this one was as big as a chocolate chip – the biggest that he had ever seen on his stomach. Not only that, but Lincoln noticed several other new pink pimples spread across his chest and back. Worst of all, Lincoln had several pink pimples all the way down his neck. His _**NECK!**_

" _ **DANG IT!**_ " cried Lincoln – tears starting to well up in his eyes. He slapped the floor with his pajama top, curled up next to the bathtub, and wept into his arms. "This is so unfair…" moaned Lincoln. "I'm only eleven! I shouldn't have this much acne! In fact, I probably shouldn't have this much acne at ANY age. And how many people get acne on the front of their _**NECK?**_ How am I going to cover _that_ up? I'm so pathetic."

As Lincoln cried the rest of his tears out, he reflected on how he forced himself – especially on the first day – to do without sugar – and how hard it was for him to resist his favorite treats. But it was all for nothing. Had he known that, Lincoln would have at least been less miserable in his first weeks of summer since he would have had comfort foods. Once he was done crying, Lincoln was going to go straight downstairs to pour himself a giant bowl of Zombie Bran. He figured that he might as well do so now since it seemed that the sugar-free diet was useless. Afterwards, Lincoln was going to try a _**REAL**_ cure for his acne – not wasting any more time on stupid ideas like cutting sugar. Why did he think that would ever work, anyway?

As Lincoln stopped crying, his heart started pounding upon thinking about the upcoming vacation to AQUAverse. Earlier in the month, Lincoln cautiously agreed to go to AQUAverse – but only because he didn't want to raise suspicion – and also didn't want a repeat of the time when his sisters tried to force him to choose between going to the beach or Dairyland. Lincoln also hoped that cutting sugar would help his acne, but unfortunately, that didn't happen. Not only that, but his acne was actually _spreading_. Now, Lincoln had less time to keep from making himself a pariah at AQUAverse, and his skin was looking worse. The painful memory of his sisters' disgust with Bobby's bacne made Lincoln fear the family vacation – knowing that he wasn't worrying for no reason.

Lincoln finally stood up, put on his pajama top again, and rubbed his burning eyes with water from the sink. As he had been doing all along, Lincoln also took his worthless prescription pill – even though it was clear that it made no difference in his acne, either. Knowing that Lincoln needed to hide his pimply neck, he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his neck. Lincoln then left the bathroom and headed back to his room.

" _UGH!_ " groaned a voice – stopping Lincoln in his tracks. It was Lori's voice. "I can't believe I still have these pictures on my phone!"

Lincoln walked closer to the bedroom shared by Lori and Leni. "What pictures?" Leni asked.

" _Bobby…_ " Lori uttered with revulsion in her voice. "I thought I already deleted all my pictures and videos of him, but I guess not." As she deleted each remaining photo of Bobby, Lori angrily snapped, " _Delete!_ " After deleting the last one, Lori snapped, " _Good riddance, you gross, oily slob! I never want to see your face again!_ "

Lincoln sighed and stared down at the floor as he walked to his room. Lori was being extremely unfair to Bobby. Although Lincoln didn't know his situation, there was a good chance that Bobby had acne despite good hygiene – just like him. Lincoln felt dread as he remembered that he had less time to get his acne under control. Nothing had worked so far – not even prescriptions, so perhaps Lincoln needed to convince Lori, Leni, and Luna – and possibly his other sisters – to accept people with unusually bad acne. At least then, his sisters would be more understanding if Lincoln decided to sit out the AQUAverse vacation. It also would serve as a backup plan in case none of Lincoln's new acne treatments didn't work.

After getting dressed – still keeping the towel around his neck, Lincoln turned on his laptop – and browsed the internet to see if any other people had acne on the neck. Fortunately, Lincoln did manage to find a few people, but it still seemed fairly uncommon – not to mention that life must have been miserable for them – either having to expose their unusual acne – or trying to find ways of covering up acne in a weird place. Afterwards, Lincoln checked his web history. Over the past few days, when it became fairly clear that his sugar-free diet wasn't working, Lincoln searched online for other home remedies for acne. There were so many of them that Lincoln wanted to remember. He then opened a text editor on his laptop and typed the different remedies that he found on different pages over various days: vitamins, zinc, saw palmetto, Omega-3, and toothpaste. Lincoln saved the text document – and then went downstairs to have breakfast. Thankfully, nobody else was in the kitchen.

Making up for lost time, Lincoln poured himself a giant bowl of Zombie Bran. Lincoln's eyes lit up as he took the first bite of the sweet, sugary cereal. It had been so long since he had any that he had almost forgotten how great it tasted. As he ate, Lincoln thought about how he was going to get his sisters to be more sensitive to those with severe acne. He thought of many ideas, but finally, a great one came to mind. He would get Lori and Bobby back together! Until recently, Lori was "literally" obsessed with Bobby. Surely, Lincoln could get Lori to remember all the passion she once had for Bobby. Her love for him was so strong that it seemed unbelievable that anything at all would shake it.

Once he finished his Zombie Bran, Lincoln went upstairs to his room and searched both his laptop and phone for any possible pictures or videos of Lori and Bobby. Thankfully, he did manage to find a number of pictures. Lincoln made a quick phone call – and then spent about half an hour compiling all the images of Lori and Bobby together to make a slideshow. Finally, he nervously headed to Lori's room – carrying his laptop.

Lincoln gulped as he peeked into his oldest sisters' bedroom. "Uh…hey, Lori?"

"Hey, Lincoln, come on in!" Leni greeted cheerfully. Lincoln walked in – feeling less nervous. Both Lori and Leni were lying in their beds. Leni had been reading a fashion magazine, while Lori was focused on her phone as usual.

"Yeah, what is it, twerp?" Lori grumbled – glancing up from her phone. She then stared at Lincoln and squinted. "Why are you wearing a towel around your neck?"

Lincoln gulped again and felt more nervous. "Um…my neck hurts?" Lincoln feebly answered – causing Lori and Leni to each raise an eyebrow. "Anyway, forget about that. I wanted to show you guys something," Lincoln said – setting his laptop on Lori's bed. Lori sighed, put down her phone, and looked at the laptop. Leni came over from her bed and looked at the laptop as well. Lincoln gulped a third time and started trembling as he pressed a button on his laptop to start the slideshow. Lincoln watched the expressions on his sisters' faces as they watched various pictures of Lori and Bobby happily together. The pictures ranged widely from casual selfies to formal school dances. In the pictures, Lori and Bobby were smiling and hugging each other lovingly. Leni smiled widely, and her eyes sparkled in affection – while Lori's face increasingly scrunched up in anger.

"O-M-Gosh, Linky, these pictures are so adorable…!" cooed Leni. She then turned to Lori. "You guys were totes a cute couple! You should start dating again!"

Lori, however, growled, clenched her fists, and shoved Lincoln's laptop off her bed.

"Lori!" gasped Lincoln.

" _ **Why would you do this to me, Lincoln?**_ " demanded Lori angrily. "You KNOW that I can't stand looking at – or even thinking about Bobby because he is so GROSS! When I think about all the times the times that his filthy back touched or could have touched me or any of my things, I just… _EWW!_ " Lori shivered, and her eyes squinted in disgust. Lincoln noticed that Luna and Lola were peering into the bedroom before coming in – apparently hearing the commotion.

Leni's eyes popped open. "Oh yeah…THAT'S why you guys broke up." She then made a cringing face. "I gotta agree with Lori. Bobby sounds REALLY gross! I don't blame her for dumping him."

"Lori, Leni, don't you guys think that you're being unfair to Bobby? Why do you think he's filthy just because – " Lincoln started – only to be interrupted by the doorbell. Abruptly, Lincoln ran out of the room – causing Lori, Leni, Luna, and Lola to give each other puzzled looks. A moment later, Lincoln went back into his oldest sisters' room. He cleared his throat and said, "Uh, Lori, there's someone here to see you…" Lincoln's heart pounded as a young man nervously walked into the room.

" _ **BOBBY?**_ " Lori nearly growled. She immediately stood up and stormed over to him. " _ **What are YOU doing here?**_ "

Bobby gulped and shivered a little. "Uh, well, Lincoln called me and said that you wanted to talk…"

"He did _WHAT?_ " snapped Lori, who glared at Lincoln. He grinned sheepishly. Lori turned her attention back to Bobby. "Look, there's nothing to talk about. We're through. Why don't you save us both some trouble and just go home?" She closed her eyes, turned her nose up at Bobby, and spun around – crossing her arms.

"Lori, why are you so mad at me? I didn't do anything to you," Bobby asked. Lori said nothing in response. "Lori, please talk to me. It's me – your Boo-Boo Bear – "

" _ **DON'T 'BOO-BOO BEAR' ME!**_ " snapped Lori, who spun around – pointing and staring menacingly at Bobby. All the others in the room gasped at Lori's response. "Look, Bobby, it's best that we go our separate ways. You're a nice guy, but when I realized how filthy you are… I'm sorry, but I just can't date someone that doesn't have decent hygiene."

"But Lori, I _do_ have good hygiene. I can't help that I have bad acne – " Bobby started.

"Ugh, _PLEASE!_ " scoffed Lori. "How hard is it to wipe your skin with some Kleanacell pads? I mean, _really?_ " Leni, Luna, and Lola mumbled in agreement.

"But, babe, I've tried _**everything…**_ " Bobby nearly cried.

"Excuses, excuses!" snapped Lola. "Lori told us what your back was like. Nobody gets acne _THAT_ bad as long as they bathe properly." The other sisters voiced their agreement.

This exchange was making Lincoln – and likely Bobby – extremely uncomfortable. It was clear that his sisters didn't understand – or didn't seem to WANT to understand – that people with good hygiene could still get bad acne.

"Guys, give Bobby a break. Maybe he really can't help it," Lincoln pleaded.

"Lori, I miss you so much, and I want to get back together. And to show you how serious I am, I got you these," Bobby said – pulling out from his green shirt a bouquet of red roses and a gold locket with a picture of Lori and him together. "Surely our love means more than any gross skin condition." He handed the bouquet and locket to Lori.

"Aww…" cooed Lori. She looked up with a smile and a sparkle in her eye – before frowning and looking apprehensive. "That's so sweet, Bobby, but I don't know yet. I'll have to think about it." She then smiled and said, "But maybe we will get back together."

Bobby's face lit up as he smiled. "Really? Oh, thanks so much for at least giving me another chance, Lori!" Lincoln, too, smiled – feeling hopeful that maybe his sisters would accept his own acne.

" _HEADS UP!_ " shouted a voice. Lori, Leni, Luna, Lincoln, and Lola snapped their heads toward the door and leapt in different directions to avoid the colorful beach ball flying through the room. In the process of avoiding the ball, Bobby bumped into both Lori and Lola – causing him to fall back onto Lori's bed. Everyone then saw that Lynn stood with a smug grin in the doorway.

"Dang it, Lynn!" snapped Lori.

"Just testing out my new beach ball for AQUAverse," Lynn said – coming into the room to retrieve her ball.

Bobby groaned as he stood back up – only to be startled by Lori screaming. He turned and looked at Lori. "What's the matter, babe?"

Lori stared at her bed – her eyes wide open in horror. "There are bloodstains on my bed."

"And my dress has blood on it, too!" cried Lola. Lori and Lola then squinted her eyes angrily and suspiciously at Bobby.

"Oh…" Bobby said nervously – rubbing the back of his head. "That's probably my fault. I guess my sores broke open and bled. Sorry…" Bobby looked away and blushing.

" _EWW!_ " the girls all cried in disgust – having either disgust or anger visible in their faces. Lori stared menacingly at Bobby, clenched her fists, and shouted, "That's it! You are LITERALLY disgusting! Get out of here! We are _DONE!_ _**FOREVER!**_ " Lori slammed the bouquet and locket on the floor.

Bobby looked stunned. "B-but Lori…"

"You heard her! _GET OUT OF HERE!_ " Lola screeched.

"Guys…" Bobby started to speak again – but stopped talking when he realized that all the girls were glaring furiously at Bobby. Lincoln just stared at Bobby sadly and solemnly – as if he were helpless to do anything. Bobby closed his eyes, turned around, and walked out of the bedroom.

"This is so gross. Now I'm going to have to get some new bed sheets," Lori grumbled – staring at the bloodstains on her bed.

"And I'm going to have to get a new dress!" snorted Lola. "All because Bobby won't take a bath!" In the background, the sound of the front door closing could be heard as Bobby left the house.

Lincoln's face turned red as he glared at his sisters. " _ **Come on, guys, that was COMPLETELY unnecessary!**_ " he snapped – throwing his hands up in the air. " _ **I can't believe you would treat Bobby that way – especially YOU, Lori! I thought that you loved him!**_ "

"I did – until I found out how gross he was!" Lori grunted.

"Guys, you heard Bobby – his acne isn't his fault! Just believe him!" pleaded Lincoln.

"No way," Lori said – starting to take the bed sheets off her bed.

"But he's right – even people with good hygiene can get bad acne! Please just get back together with Bobby, Lori. _**Please…!**_ " begged Lincoln.

"No, they can't!" Lola insisted. "Besides, even if that's true, how do _YOU_ know, anyway? And why do _YOU_ care so much if Lori and Bobby are together? And why do you have a towel around your neck?" Lola squinted her eyes in suspicion at Lincoln.

Lincoln cringed and looked around the room – noticing that his other sisters were looking puzzled by his behavior.

"You HAVE been acting pretty weird these last few weeks, Lincoln," Lynn said. "First, you stop eating all your favorite foods – and freak out whenever anyone even mentions candy or cake or something. You also spend a lot more time in your room than usual. And now, you're wearing a towel around your neck and making a big deal about Lori and Bobby. Seriously, why do _YOU_ care if they're together? Not to mention that you don't even seem excited about AQUAverse – or even summer for that matter!"

"Is something wrong, little bro?" Luna asked sympathetically – getting on one knee and putting a hand on Lincoln's right shoulder.

"No – just leave me alone right now!" Lincoln said – shoving Luna's hand off his shoulder, grabbing his laptop, storming off to his room, slamming his door shut, and locking it.

Lincoln leapt onto his bed, grabbed Bun-Bun and started sobbing into his pillow. He was in a terrible quandary. Nothing was going right for him. He couldn't cure his acne by cutting sugar from his diet, and he was unable to convince his sisters to accept Bobby's severe acne. That meant that Lincoln was in for his own doom at AQUAverse. His sisters would be just as cold and heartless to him as they were to Bobby. They would harass and bully him for his severe acne – and would never love him again. Warm tears streamed down from Lincoln's face onto his bed. All that Lincoln could hope for now was a miracle. One of three things would have to happen: he would finally get a treatment that worked, his sisters would come around, or he would avoid going to AQUAverse. At this point, however, nothing seemed likely to work out. The thought of exposing his horrible skin to everyone, including his sisters, at AQUAverse – and getting harassed for it – was so embarrassing and terrifying that he didn't think that he could ever show his face in public again, which made Lincoln spend the next several hours crying into his pillow.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

By the time the last week of June had come, Lincoln was in miserable shape – both emotionally and physically. He was distraught by his ever-worsening acne – and the fact that his sisters were so hostile toward Bobby just for having gross acne that he presumably had no control over. Lincoln feared that his sisters really would disown him for his own gross acne – given their reaction to Bobby's similar condition. In some ways, Lincoln's condition was worse. At least Bobby didn't have acne on his neck.

In the weeks since that time, Lincoln had tried more things to help his acne: Vitamin A, Vitamin B5, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, zinc, saw palmetto, and Omega-3. He even tried putting toothpaste all over his chest and stomach – and also went back to his sugar-free diet, but nothing seemed to make any difference whatsoever. There were a few times after Lincoln had tried a new supplement when he felt some pimples hardening within a day – only to find several new pimples elsewhere a few days later.

Lincoln had become increasingly withdrawn – and acted stranger and stranger. He would either spend hours alone in his room – or hours away from the Loud House at places like the arcade and the park. He continued refusing to eat Zombie Bran or other sweet, sugary foods that he usually loved – and refused to watch _Dessert Storm_. Lincoln also started wearing orange turtleneck sweaters – despite the fact that it was summer. Unbeknownst to his sisters, Lincoln tried concealing his neck acne with some of Lori's makeup. Living with sisters was beneficial in that Lincoln knew how to apply makeup. Although at first it seemed that makeup would work, Lincoln quickly found that it would easily rub off on his pillow and other surfaces – and would also wash off in the shower. Worst of all, Lincoln's neck started getting big, pus-filled pimples – and many of them, so not even makeup would hide his neck's bumpy surface. Lincoln had whimpered at how futile covering his neck acne seemed. Why did he have to get acne in such a bad place? Lincoln resigned himself to wearing orange turtlenecks – despite looking like a weirdo since it was summer. But what else could he do? He couldn't cure his acne, and makeup would just wash off – and wouldn't even hide cysts, so turtlenecks were the best that he could do. He would rather get odd looks from his sisters than get harassed, bullied, and disowned by them for having a gross skin condition.

One morning, when it was still dark outside, Lincoln suddenly woke up. He had spent the previous night sweating – suffering from a panic attack as the rest of the family tried on beach clothes for AQUAverse. Feeling restless – and unable to get back to sleep, Lincoln groggily rubbed his eyes, got out of bed, and trudged down the hall – going into the bathroom and locking the door. Lincoln flushed his crusty eyes with water, but just as he was about to wash his hands and go back to bed, he noticed something on his left hand. Lincoln's eyes widened, and he felt overcome with dread when he realized what it was. It was a pimple. It was a pimple on his _**HAND**_. Not only that, but Lincoln noticed several other pink pimples all over both of his hands. He also noticed a pink pimple on his right wrist. Lincoln rolled up his right pajama sleeve to get a better look at it – only to see his whole right forearm covered in little pink pimples – almost as if he had chickenpox. At first, Lincoln started whimpering – only to let out a bloodcurdling scream.

* * *

"So, Lincoln, I hear that your acne hasn't been getting better since last month's visit," Lincoln's dermatologist said sympathetically later that morning. Coincidentally, Lincoln screamed on the same day on which his monthly dermatologist appointment had been scheduled.

Lincoln's face was very somber, and his eyes were red from all his crying earlier. "No, Dr. Wilson. In fact, it's gotten WORSE! As you can see, I have acne all over my _NECK_. I've also got it on my _STOMACH_." Lincoln pulled down the collar of his turtleneck sweater – and also lifted the bottom edge of his sweater. Dr. Wilson looked closely at the dozens big red cysts and pimples all over Lincoln's neck and stomach. "Now I have to wear turtlenecks to keep people from seeing my acne! Worst of all, this morning, I noticed that I'm starting to get acne even on my _**FOREARMS**_ and _**HANDS!**_ " Lincoln said in despair.

"Your… _ **hands?**_ " Dr. Wilson asked curiously. "Are you sure…?" Lincoln rolled up the sleeves of his sweater, and the doctor carefully looked over Lincoln's forearms and hands – poking a few of the pimples, and a look of bewilderment appeared on her face. "Huh. It looks like that really _is_ acne. I thought that it might surely be keratosis pilaris or something else, but no, that really appears to be acne. Acne on your hands. Wow. That's the first time that I've personally ever seen it. I don't think that I've encountered anything in medical literature about it, either. It seems extremely unusual."

With that, Lincoln got on his knees on the floor and started loudly sobbing into his hands. Rita and Lynn Sr. both pat Lincoln on the back in comfort.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Lincoln," Dr. Wilson said apologetically. "I know this is extremely hard on you. I didn't mean to make you feel bad about this." She also pat Lincoln a few times on his right shoulder.

Lincoln sniffled a little, rubbed his eyes, and looked up at Dr. Wilson. "It's okay," he said hoarsely. He sat back down on the examination table.

Dr. Wilson handed Lincoln a tissue, and he grabbed it with his polka-dotted hand. He then rubbed his eyes with the tissue. "You may be developing a form of acne called acne conglobata. People with acne conglobata are more likely to get acne in atypical places like the arms and stomach." Lincoln nodded. "Anyway, you have been taking your prescription, right?" she asked. Lincoln nodded again. "What's your diet like? Have you had anything high in sugar?"

"No – I've actively been avoiding sugar. It's been miserable doing without all my favorite treats, but not even that has worked. My acne has never been worse," Lincoln said. "I've even tried other things – like taking Vitamin A, Vitamin B5, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, zinc, saw palmetto, and Omega-3. I've even tried putting toothpaste on my chest and stomach."

Dr. Wilson looked alarmed. "Lincoln, how many of those vitamin supplement pills did you take?"

"I don't know," Lincoln shrugged. "I didn't keep track of it."

"It's extremely dangerous to take large quantities of Vitamin A without supervision," Dr. Wilson said. "It can damage your liver. For now, at least, I want you to stop so you don't overload your liver. I also want to draw some blood to check for signs of overdosing." Lincoln nodded and looked down solemnly at the ceramic-tiled floor. "In the meantime…I don't know what to tell you. I'm sorry, but we've tried all sorts of creams and prescription drugs over the past year without success, and your acne is even getting worse."

"What about Akcudrain?" Lincoln suddenly blurted out. Dr. Wilson raised her eyebrows – as if she were surprised that Lincoln had brought it up. "I've been looking online for acne treatments, and a lot of people have mentioned Akcudrain as a treatment of last resort. It sounds like it works wonders," Lincoln said – sounding hopeful for the first time at this visit.

Dr. Wilson looked sadly at Lincoln. "Oh, I'm sorry, Lincoln, but at your age, Akcudrain is far too powerful for you. Among all the good things you've heard about it, you've probably also heard that Ackudrain has a lot of potentially severe side effects."

"Yeah, but I'm willing to take that chance. I have to!" Lincoln cried.

Dr. Wilson shook her head. "Lincoln, I'm really sorry, but you're just too young for it. Maybe we can try it in a few years if your acne still hasn't improved by then, but for now, it is out of the question. For now, I'm going to up your dosage of your current prescription." She wrote some notes on her clipboard. "Do you have any other questions?" Lincoln shook his head sadly. "Okay," Dr. Wilson said soothingly – patting Lincoln's right shoulder. "Well, in just a minute, we'll draw some blood, and after that, you'll be free to go, and I'll see you next month."

"Thank you so much for your help, Doctor," Rita said warmly as Dr. Wilson walked into another room to get ready to draw blood from Lincoln. Rita and Lynn Sr. then turned their attention back to Lincoln – patting his back and smiling sympathetically at him as he stared sadly at the floor.

Later, Lincoln and his parents were heading back home in Vanzilla – the family van. Lincoln, now wearing gray fingerless gloves, stared out the passenger window by his Sweet Spot for most of the drive back home. He looked forlorn as he thought about the impending doom of the AQUAverse vacation. He was going to have to expose his gross acne to all his sisters, and they would never love him again. That is – unless he could get out of the vacation. Finally, he sighed and looked toward the front of the van.

"Mom, Dad, do we really have to go to AQUAverse this summer?" Lincoln asked sadly.

"Well…no, of course not," Lynn Sr. said.

"We don't?" Lincoln chirped happily – leaning forward in his seat.

"No, not at all," Rita said. Lincoln smiled broadly. "But why wouldn't you want to go to AQUAverse?"

"Well, I think you know," Lincoln said – looking out his window. "If I go to AQUAverse, I'll probably won't be able to swim with my shirt…"

"Oh, I think we get the picture," Lynn Sr. said. "Don't worry, son. We won't have to go to AQUAverse if you don't want to."

" _Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!_ " cried Lincoln happily – beaming for the first time in about a month. That is, until he realized one problem. "But what about the girls? They all really want to go to AQUAverse, and I can't tell them about my acne." Oddly enough, nobody in the family had told Rita or Lynn Sr. that Lori and Bobby were no longer a couple.

"Don't worry, honey," Rita said. "Just tell the girls that you just want to go somewhere else for vacation this year. We'll go somewhere else where we all enjoy. I'm sure they'll understand."

* * *

" _ **NO WAY!**_ " Lynn shouted. "There is _NO WAY_ that I am missing out on AQUAverse! It's been _two years_ since we last went on vacation, and I've been getting ready _ALL MONTH_ for AQUAverse!"

Shortly after getting back from the dermatologist, Lynn Sr. and Rita called a family meeting in the living room. Once the whole family had gathered, Lynn Sr. and Rita suggested that the family go somewhere else for vacation since Lincoln just wasn't in the mood for going to a water park.

"You know, young lady, we could just save the money and not go on vacation at all!" Rita sternly warned Lynn.

"But we shouldn't have to miss out on AQUAverse just because Lincoln's been acting weird all month and doesn't want to go!" Lynn grumbled. "He would normally be enthused to go to a water park. I don't know what his deal is now!" Lynn marched up to Lincoln and stared him down. " _What is WRONG with you?_ " She then looked at Lincoln's gloves. "And why are you dressing so weird lately, anyway? Who wears turtlenecks and gloves in the _SUMMER?_ "

" _ **I HAVE ARTHRITIS, OKAY?**_ " snapped Lincoln – scowling at Lynn.

" _ **Arthritis?**_ _Really…?_ " scoffed Lynn – rolling her eyes.

"Lynn, Lincoln, enough!" Rita said – separating Lynn and Lincoln. She then looked at the rest of the family. "Look, we can either go somewhere else for vacation, or we won't go on vacation at all." The other girls moaned.

"Honey, I have an idea," Lynn Sr. said. "Why don't we go to AQUAverse – and just let Lincoln stay in the motel or go somewhere else nearby if he wants?"

"Hmm…" Rita thought – and then smiled a little. "I guess it's an okay idea. Lincoln, what do you think?"

Lincoln shrugged and smiled. "Sure, that's perfectly okay by me."

"Well, there we go, gang. We're all happy now!" Lynn Sr. said cheerfully. Most of the siblings chattered happily and dispersed – going back to what they were doing before the family meeting was called. Lynn Sr. and Rita went to their room – leaving just Lynn and Lincoln in the living room. Lynn stared at him suspiciously, and Lincoln stared wide-eyed at Lynn in fear. The two stared at each other silently before going their own ways.

Later that night, Lynn went to all her sisters' rooms and asked to have a sisters' meeting. They all agreed – and decided to hold the meeting in the oldest sisters' room. Once all the sisters were present, Lori closed and locked the door to the room – and then sat on her bed.

"Okay, Lynn, what's up? What did you want to talk with us about?" Lori asked.

"It's Lincoln. I'm really concerned about him," Lynn said softly. She then scowled and said, "Not to mention also really ticked off that he also almost blew our AQUAverse vacation."

"Lincoln has been acting rather peculiar lately," Lisa acknowledged. "Uncharacteristically of him, Lincoln has been wearing turtleneck sweaters – and fingerless gloves as of today. This is unusual for him in normal circumstances, but it is even more bizarre since he is wearing such thermal clothing despite the average daily highs being over 80 degrees Fahrenheit in summertime in Royal Woods. Although I normally wear turtleneck sweaters, as you have noticed, since summer started, I have been wearing green T-shirts instead. Anyway, not only has Lincoln been dressing unusually, but our dear brother has been spending at least 50% more time in his room than compared to his average time over the past twelve months. Furthermore, he has suddenly been refusing to consume any edibles with significant quantities of sugar, and the mere mention of his formerly-beloved treats sends him into sudden emotional distress. Finally, while Lincoln has normally been fairly indifferent to Lori's relationship with Bobby, he suddenly feels obligated to keep them together as a couple."

Everyone in the room stared at Lisa in bewilderment. "Yeah! What she said," Leni piped up.

"Did anyone else hear a really loud, gut-wrenching scream last night?" Lucy suddenly asked. Everyone stared at Lucy in horror for her seemingly random, yet creepy question.

"Dudes, I think I know what the problem is!" Luna suddenly spoke up. Everyone focused on Luna. "We're almost a month into summer, and Lincoln hasn't spent one single day with Clyde! I'll bet he's just acting weird 'cause he's upset that Clyde's been out of town visiting his grandmother! He's supposed to be coming home in a week – around the time we're leaving for AQUAverse. Why don't we invite Clyde to come with us? That'll cheer up our little bro!"

The other sisters mumbled in agreement. "Then it's settled: we're inviting Clyde to AQUAverse to cheer up Lincoln!" Lynn said. She then grabbed one of Lori's shoes and smacked it on Leni's sewing machine – causing Lori to glare at Lynn in annoyance. "Meeting adjourned!" proudly declared Lynn.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Waking up from a deep, refreshing sleep, Lincoln leaned up in bed and enjoyed the sunlight entering his room. Lincoln stretched, yawned, and smiled. He then glanced at his clock, which indicated that the time was 7:00 AM, and his smile rapidly faded. He remembered that the big day had finally arrived: July 1st – the family vacation to AQUAverse. Lincoln was bummed that his acne had been spreading to unusual places – and that he now had to wear turtlenecks and gloves all the time to cover it up. He was also bummed that he wouldn't get to enjoy all the awesome rides and attractions at AQUAverse. However, he felt better than he did in the depths of his anguish in the last week of June. Thanks to his parents, he knew that he wouldn't have to worry about exposing his gross skin to his sisters or the general public.

Lincoln got out of bed and went to the bathroom. The whole upstairs was quiet, and there was a lot of chattering downstairs, so Lincoln figured that everyone else had assembled downstairs. Lincoln didn't even bother to check his acne since he was certain that his skin was horrible – though as he scratched his stomach through his sweater, he felt a big bump underneath. Lincoln glowered but wasn't surprised. It didn't matter that much anymore since he had been able to wear a turtleneck and gloves without getting too much harassment from his sisters. Lincoln took his prescription pill and then trudged back to his bedroom. He changed into his blue jeans, grabbed his suitcase, which he had packed the night before, and joined his family downstairs. All his family members were wearing colorful, floral shirts – except Lucy, whose floral shirt was black and white.

"Hey, Lincoln!" his sisters greeted cheerfully.

"Hey, guys," Lincoln replied with a weak smile.

"Ready to go, kiddo?" Lynn Sr. asked.

"Sure, Dad," Lincoln said.

"Alright, everyone, let's go!" Rita said. With that, everyone cheered and chattered loudly as they exited the house and headed for Vanzilla.

" _ **AQUAverse, here I come!**_ " shouted Lynn as she ran across the yard with her beach ball and jumped into Vanzilla. Lincoln quickly sat in the Sweet Spot before anyone else could claim it, and surprisingly, nobody contested his claim to the Sweet Spot. As Lincoln settled into his seat, he jerked when he felt a twinge of pain on his back – and realized that it was apparently a new, sensitive pimple forming. Lincoln scowled in frustration. The others loaded their luggage into the cargo area and onto the roof of Vanzilla and then got in.

Leni took a seat next to Lincoln and took notice of his sour mood. She pat his gloved hand, smiled at him, and said, "You're going to have a great time, Linky." Lincoln smiled back at her.

Once Lynn Sr. and Rita tied down everything on the roof, they got in the van themselves. "Okay, gang, here we go!" Lynn Sr. said – starting Vanzilla and pulling out of the driveway as the others, except Lincoln, cheered. "By the way, Lincoln, we've got a surprise for you before we hit the Interstate," Lynn Sr. said. Lincoln raised an eyebrow and felt his heart racing. He hoped that it wouldn't foil his plans to keep his acne hidden from his sisters.

Shortly thereafter, the van stopped in front of Clyde's house. Almost as if on cue, Clyde charged out of his house – carrying a suitcase – while his parents waved farewell to him from the front door.

" _ **CLYDE?**_ " gasped Lincoln in shock.

"Bye, Clyde! Be safe!" Howard, Clyde's father, called out.

"And have a great time!" Harold, Clyde's other father, also called out.

"Bye, Dads!" Clyde called out to his fathers as he reached Vanzilla.

"Hey, Clyde, welcome aboard!" greeted Lynn Sr. "It's pretty crowded in here, but you can take a seat in between Lincoln and Leni."

"Okay," Clyde said. He opened the middle door on the left and crawled inside and shut the door behind him – taking a seat in between Lincoln and Leni.

"Clyde! I missed you so much!" Lincoln greeted affectionately.

"You too, buddy!" Clyde replied. The two friends hugged.

"How was your grandma's?" Lincoln asked.

"Pretty cool. But no summer would be complete without hanging out with my best bud," Clyde said with a smile.

"So, like, how…?" Lincoln started – trying to figure out why Clyde suddenly was joining the family on seemingly short notice.

"Your sisters called me and said that you've been acting weird lately – and thought that we just needed to spend some time together," Clyde explained.

"They did…?" Lincoln asked apprehensively. He started to feel jittery inside – and looked around the van – seeing that all his sisters were smiling at him. "Oh, okay, cool," Lincoln said.

"By the way, what _IS_ with the turtleneck and gloves?" Clyde asked – raising an eyebrow.

Lincoln felt really nervous now – and noticed that Clyde was wearing a colorful floral shirt like the other Louds. "Arthritis," Lincoln said.

"Oh. Okay…" Clyde replied in uncertainty.

Lincoln's sisters looked at each other dubiously. Either Lincoln needed more time to return to his normal self, or something else was going on with him – other than being away from Clyde.

The four-hour drive to AQUAverse was relatively uneventful – at least by the Loud family's standards. Lori played with her phone and felt nauseous, Leni groaned from dizziness, Luna loudly rocked out on her guitar, Luan kept hitting others with pillows as if they were airbags, Lynn played "Auto Attack" – where she punched others whenever she saw cars, Lucy kept scaring others with her fortune telling, Lana and Lola kept fighting each other, Lisa kept talking about horrific things that could happen, and Lily drooled over everything and tossed different objects at others. Clyde had passed out after seeing Lori, his crush, shortly after the trip began, and Lincoln himself just sighed and endured it all.

At last, after what seemed like an eternity, Vanzilla took an exit – and drove through a town with many restaurants and stores selling beach-related things like surfboards and swimwear. Traffic was very heavy and slow moving – even on the four-lane highway, and Vanzilla had to stop at almost every traffic light. Finally, after taking a left turn at one light, Vanzilla entered a wooded area.

" _ **Guys, it's AQUAverse!**_ " Lynn suddenly shouted – pointing at the water slides visible over the trees. Her sisters cheered, while Lincoln gulped and felt jittery again. Less than a mile later, Vanzilla turned left and rolled up to the blue, ocean wave-styled gates with individual letters of all colors spelling "AQUAverse." Lynn Sr. grabbed everyone's tickets from the glove compartment and handed them to the gatekeeper. A moment later, the gatekeeper handed the ticket stubs back to Lynn Sr. and raised the arm of the boom barrier. Vanzilla drove through and entered a vast parking lot with hundreds of cars. Lynn Sr. finally parked in a space near the office of the on-site three-story motel – sporting a light blue roof, light green doors, and a white brick exterior.

"Okay, kids, let's get our luggage and check in," Rita said – opening her front door. "Then, we can all start enjoying AQUAverse!"

All the others chattered as they got out of the car, grabbed their luggage, and followed their parents into the motel office. After checking in and being given the keys to room 75, the Louds and Clyde went back outside and went up a set of stairs – eventually stopping at a nearby door and opening it. The Louds and Clyde were greeted by a spacious room with white walls, beige hardwood flooring, and a private bathroom in the back. The room also had a dresser with a flat-screen TV, a desk, and two beds with dark green covers. Although there were only two beds, that was no problem since everyone packed sleeping bags. The Louds and Clyde entered the room – with Lincoln shutting the door behind him. Everyone chattered as they started dropping their luggage in different places.

"All right, everybody, let's take turns changing into our swimwear," Rita said. Lincoln's pupils shrank in fear. He sat on one of the beds – as did the others – while each person, one by one, went to the bathroom to change into his or her swimwear. Finally, after a few minutes, Clyde came out of the bathroom – wearing a pair of yellow and blue swim trunks.

"Okay, guys, let's go!" Lynn Sr. said.

"Wait a minute, Lincoln, you haven't changed clothes yet," Clyde pointed out. Most of Lincoln's sisters looked at him in concern, while Lynn glared at him in annoyance.

"I-I'll probably catch up with you guys later. I'm just a little carsick, you know?" Lincoln said – lying on one of the beds.

"I've been carsick literally the whole ride here, and I'm going to the park," Lori snorted.

"Yeah, me too!" added Leni.

" _ **Well maybe I just don't feel like going right now, okay?**_ " snapped Lincoln.

"Okay, okay, cool your jets," retorted Lori.

Most of the Louds left the room, while Lynn Sr., Rita, Lynn, and Clyde remained.

"Are you sure you'll be okay, dear? You won't be bored here, will you?" Rita asked Lincoln.

"No, Mom, I'll be fine," Lincoln said with a little smile.

"Well, I'll see you later, buddy!" Clyde said. Lynn looked clearly agitated and was about to say something to Lincoln before Clyde yanked her out of the room. "Come on, Lynn!"

Lincoln waved to his parents as they left and closed the door. Lincoln heaved a sigh of relief and smiled broadly as he settled into his bed. Maybe he would avoid exposing his gross acne after all.

However, a few minutes later, the motel door slammed open. Lynn stood in the doorway – staring furiously at Lincoln. " _ **YOU!**_ " she shouted – storming over. Lincoln panicked and started to get off the bed and run away – only for Lynn to yank him off – dragging him toward the door. Lincoln stumbled as he tried to regain his balance. Lynn slammed the door behind her. Although he was terrified, Lincoln knew that there was no point in resisting Lynn. She had a firm grip on his right wrist, and over the years, she almost always beat Lincoln in fights – not to mention that it was unsafe to resist her as they were heading down the stairs. Once on the ground, Lincoln tried reasoning with his aggressive sister.

"Lynn, please let me go!" Lincoln pleaded as the two headed toward the orange, bricked fence that separated the well-manicured green grass, parking lot, and motel from the water park. Lynn, however, ignored Lincoln. The poor boy continued stumbling as Lynn led him up to the gate, through one of the turnstiles, and into AQUAverse.

For a brief moment, Lincoln ignored Lynn and was awestruck at the amazing water park. It was as dazzling and exciting as he had imagined. There were many towering water slides of varying heights and colors. People screamed their heads off as they rode down the slides and splashed into giant swimming pools – where others laughed as they splashed each other with the clear, light blue water or tossed balls back and forth. There were also colorful splash pads where little kids ran around screaming in delight. Lincoln saw off in the distance a place for flowriding and a sandy area next to it: an artificial beach. Lincoln noticed someone on one of the water slides tossing a beach ball, which bounced off the cobblestone walkway. Lincoln heard various stereos playing music and caught the delightful smell of sunscreen – and was just starting to enjoy the atmosphere until he felt Lynn jolting him.

"Listen, Lincoln, you have GOT to stop being such a wet blanket! I don't know what's wrong with you, but it's got to stop! You need to stop being so miserable and reclusive and have some fun!" Lynn yelled – dragging Lincoln, who was again stumbling across the park. "If Clyde can't help you get over your problem, _**I WILL!**_ And there's only one thing that will snap you out of this!" Lincoln gulped – dreading what Lynn possibly could have had in mind.

A few minutes later, Lynn dragged Lincoln to the entrance of The Orbiter – the highest and most elaborate water slide in the whole park. It was a space-themed water slide with black, blue, and silver tubes that circled around the whole park – and went upside down a few times before shooting up in the air just over an Olympic-size swimming pool. Waiting at the entrance were all of Lincoln's other sisters – and surprisingly…

" _ **CLYDE?**_ " Lincoln gasped. "Why are _you_ here? I thought you were afraid of heights."

"I was," Clyde explained, "but thanks to many sessions with Dr. Lopez, I'm cured! This slide looks awesome, buddy. I'm glad that you decided to join us!"

"I didn't exactly decide…" Lincoln started – only for Lynn to stomp on his foot. " _ **OW!**_ " cried Lincoln as Lynn dragged Lincoln to the foot of the endless flight of steps leading to the top of the slide. Lincoln jerked his head back briefly to see the sign at the entrance, and while he couldn't get a good look at it, he saw an image of a shirt with a big red "X" over it. Lincoln gulped. He figured that meant that shirts weren't allowed on the slide – just as he feared. Lincoln looked back down again as Lynn dragged him up the steps – following her siblings and Clyde. Lincoln tried to yank Lynn down – only for Lynn to yank him up extra hard. Lincoln watched as the ground got farther and farther away. He could even see the Interstate not too far away from the park boundaries. He watched as the top of the slide grew nearer and nearer. His heart pounded, and sweat ran down his face.

Finally, Lincoln felt a chill go down his back as he reached the top of the steps. He had never felt more traumatized in his life. He felt everything spinning around him. He was at the top of the steps – over a hundred feet in the air – standing on a little platform no bigger than his own linen closet bedroom. Any false move would send Lincoln spiraling to the ground. Lynn was blocking the steps leading up to the ride, so the only way off the platform was to take the slide. And there was only one way that he could get on the slide.

"Hey, kid, you need to take off the sweater and gloves," the tan, dark-haired ride attendant in sunglasses said to Lincoln.

Lincoln whimpered and turned to his aggressive sister. "Lynn… _ **PLEASE**_ let me go back down! _**PLEASE!**_ I'll do _**ANYTHING!**_ " begged Lincoln.

"No, Lincoln – you have been acting like a weirdo, and you've got to snap out of it!" Lynn insisted. "I mean, it's summer, we're at a _WATER PARK_ , and you're wearing a _SWEATER!_ You look like a dork!"

"Come on, Lincoln, just take your sweater off. Quit wasting time," sighed Lori in annoyance – rolling her eyes. Lincoln just stood in place – trembling with all his sisters, Clyde, and the attendant watching him.

"Oh for crying out loud, Lincoln, do I have to do _EVERYTHING?_ " Lynn complained. In the blink of an eye, she yanked off both of Lincoln's gloves – and then yanked off his sweater.

As Lincoln heard his sisters gasp and shriek, he knew that he was done for. There he stood, at the top of the tallest water slide in the park, exposing his horrible cystic acne – feeling so vulnerable. His acne looked as terrible and gross as ever. Lincoln's forearms and hands were covered in many red and pink bumps that looked like chickenpox. However, Lincoln's neck, back, chest, and stomach looked much worse. They were covered in hundreds of red and dark red cysts – as well as brown and yellow crusty cysts and pimples. Some cysts and pimples were even oozing pus and blood. Lincoln had so many pimples that barely any clear skin was visible. His skin looked like a pizza and was not a pretty sight.

" _ **EWW!**_ " Lincoln's sisters collectively squealed. Lincoln immediately shut his eyes. He couldn't bear to see his sisters' expressions. As he started trembling, Lincoln curled into a fetal position – but in doing so, he nearly lost his balance and nearly bumped into his sisters.

" _ **GROSS, LINCOLN!**_ " shouted Lori.

" _ **STAY AWAY FROM ME!**_ " squealed Leni.

" _ **NASTY, DUDE!**_ " yelled Luna.

" _ **EWW…!**_ " Luan squealed.

" _ **YUCK…**_ " Lynn groaned.

" _ **GROSS!**_ " Clyde shouted.

" _ **SICK**_ ," muttered Lucy.

" _I like a lot of gross things, but_ _ **EWW, you're disgusting!**_ " Lana yelled.

" _ **EWW! DISGUSTING, LINCOLN! GET AWAY! GET AWAY! GET AWAY!**_ " Lola shrieked.

" _ **Poo poo!**_ " screamed Lily.

"I share the sentiment of my female siblings," Lisa said flatly.

Lincoln, still in a fetal position, whimpered and trembled as he took in all the harsh comments that he received for his severe cystic acne. They all kept echoing in his mind – especially Lana's statement: " _ **EWW, you're disgusting!**_ " Almost immediately, he felt tears welling up in his eyes as he started sobbing hysterically. Tears streamed down Lincoln's face as he stood up and ran down the steps – bumping into some people along the way. Some shouted, " _ **Eww!**_ " Some yelled, " _ **Gross!**_ " Once at the foot of the steps, Lincoln continued wailing loudly – attracting the attention of other parkgoers as he sprinted through the park. More people continued to squeal and groan at the sight of Lincoln's disgusting acne, and one guy yelled, " _ **Take a shower, dude!**_ " Lincoln burst through one of the turnstiles at the gate and continued crying hysterically as he ran up the motel stairs and into his room – slamming the door shut behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Fifteen minutes after Lincoln burst into tears and ran back to the motel room, he heard some knocking on the door. At this point, Lincoln was wrapped in an Ace Savvy beach towel and curled into a fetal position – holding tightly onto Bun-Bun and lying on the bed closest to the door.

"Who's there?" choked Lincoln.

"It's your sisters," Lori said – her voice muffled through the door.

" _ **GO AWAY!**_ " snarled Lincoln.

The door creaked open, and Lori stuck her head inside. "Lincoln, listen, we're sorry, okay…?" Lori apologized.

" _ **NO!**_ _**You're NOT sorry!**_ " Lincoln shouted. " _ **You're all a bunch of shallow, superficial jerks!**_ "

"That's not true, Lincoln," Lori said.

" _ **Yes, it is! Look at how you've treated Bobby and me!**_ I even remember that time when Leni was such a snob that she almost refused to use a moist towelette because it would clog her pores! I also remember when she freaked out when she thought she had _**ONE LITTLE PIMPLE**_ on her nose!" Lincoln barked. " _ **You guys are so vain that you don't know what it's like to have**_ _ **REAL**_ _ **acne!**_ "

"Lincoln, we're sorry. We're not vain, and we don't really think your acne is that gross…" started Lori.

" _ **Baloney! I know how you guys really feel!**_ " Lincoln yelled. "Back on the first day of summer, I heard you, Leni, and Luna talking about how disgusting Bobby's acne was. _**NONE of you had any sympathy for him! For crying out loud, Lori, you broke up with him just because he had bad acne!**_ You assumed it was because he had bad hygiene! _**And then, a few weeks later, you guys treated him like a PARIAH and told him to get lost!**_ We tried explaining to you guys that acne isn't always caused by bad hygiene, _**but you wouldn't hear it!**_ _**You guys were so hostile to Bobby – especially**_ _ **you**_ _ **, Lori, and it was**_ _ **COMPLETELY**_ _ **uncalled for! And look at how you guys treated ME just now! Look at how you've treated me this past MONTH!**_ Even before today, because of the way you treated Bobby, you made me feel terrible about my own acne! _**Do you guys not realize that I have been struggling with acne for the past YEAR?**_ I've been going to a dermatologist every month, and she's given me all sorts of creams and prescriptions, but _**NOTHING HAS WORKED!**_ I had to try my own home remedies for acne – and even makeup, but they didn't work, but despite that, _**you guys practically FORCED me to go on this vacation!**_ "

"Lincoln…" Lori pleaded.

" _ **I'M DONE WITH YOU GUYS!**_ " Lincoln shouted. "I thought you were better people! I thought you'd actually have _**SYMPATHY**_ for people struggling with acne. But no – _**you're so vain, superficial, and insensitive!**_ You look down on us like pariahs and talk about how icky and gross we are! You act as if we're not human beings – like we have no feelings – and like we _**CHOOSE**_ to have bad acne! _**That's why I could never tell you guys about mine in the first place! YOU ARE THE MOST HEARTLESS AND UNSYMPATHETIC SISTERS EVER!**_ "

Lincoln's eyes quickly flooded with tears again, and he wailed hysterically – warm tears running down his face – as he got off the bed and ran to the bathroom – slamming the door.

Lori then pulled her head out of the motel room and turned to face her five sisters currently outside the room. "Did you guys hear all that?" Lori asked softly. They nodded.

"Every word," Luna said – her lips starting to quiver.

"Now I know why Lincoln knew all that stuff he said about acne a few weeks ago – and why he defended Bobby so much – and why he's been acting weird lately," Lori said softly – tears forming in her eyes. "Now we know."

Back in the bathroom, Lincoln was curled up next to the bathtub – continuing to sob and rain tears on the hard, tiled floor. As he did so, he heard several footsteps walk into the motel room – followed by gentle knocking on the bathroom door.

"If it's my sisters, _**GO AWAY!**_ " cried Lincoln.

"Linky, _PLEASE_ come out!" begged Leni. "We _REALLY_ want to talk with you!"

Lincoln looked up in surprise. Leni sounded genuinely sad. Lincoln rubbed his eyes, stood up, and slowly opened the bathroom door. Standing in front of him were Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, and Lana, and they all had tears in their eyes.

Luna got on her knees and opened her arms for a hug. "Come here, little bro…" she said softly and soothingly – sniffling a little.

Lincoln slowly walked over, got on his knees, and hugged Luna. Lincoln closed his eyes tightly and started shaking and crying again – letting out a few whimpers. "There, there, little bro. It's okay. Let it out…" Luna said gently.

Leni got on her knees and embraced both Lincoln and Luna. " _We're really, really sorry, Lincoln…_ " sighed Leni soothingly – patting Lincoln on the head. Lincoln then heard Leni sobbing herself. He rubbed his eyes and looked at her – seeing that tears and mascara were starting to stream down her face. " _I can't believe I was so insensitive!_ " cried Leni.

"Me too, bro," Luna sniffled. Lincoln, feeling touched at his sisters' genuine sadness, closed his eyes and gently pat both of them on their backs.

"Me three," added Luan, who got on her knees, joined Lincoln and the other two in a hug. "I'm really sorry if I or any of us made you feel bad, Lincoln." Luan sniffled a little.

"Yeah," Lana added. "Lincoln, I know I called you disgusting, and I feel terrible." Lana hung her head down, and tears ran down her face. "I had no idea what you were going through, and I'm really sorry." Lana then joined the group in a hug.

Lynn stared at Lincoln, Luna, Leni, and Lana, sniffled, and burst into tears – sobbing into her hands briefly before rubbing her eyes and looking back up. " _ **Lincoln, please forgive us! Please forgive me! I didn't mean to put you through all this! I can't help but feel that this is all my fault!**_ " Lynn cried. Lincoln, Luna, Leni, and Lana stopped hugging and looked in surprise at Lynn. "I was the one with the idea to come to AQUAverse, and I was the one most insistent on coming here – even when Mom and Dad tried to get us to go somewhere else. I gave you a hard time for not wanting to go – and for wearing those clothes. But despite all that, you put up with my harassment. And I did one of the worst things ever! You had this embarrassing, gross problem you couldn't cure, and _I_ _ **FORCED**_ _you to reveal it to everyone!_ _**I'm so mad at myself!**_ " Lynn yelled – closing her eyes and clenching her fists in anger before taking in a deep breath. "I've treated you like dirt. I didn't know why you've been acting weird all this time – part of me thought you were just being a weirdo for no reason. But now I know. Now we all know. And I feel awful. I'm _**really**_ sorry for embarrassing you, Lincoln. I'm sorry for making you feel like dirt. You are the best brother we could ever have, and I never want to torment or embarrass you like that again." Lynn, now in tears again, closed her eyes and opened her arms for a hug. "Come here, Lincoln." Lincoln then walked over to Lynn and closed his eyes. "I'm so sorry, buddy," Lynn said – hugging Lincoln and patting him on the back. All of a sudden, a wide smile formed on Lincoln's face, and he reciprocated Lynn's hug.

"Now do you believe that we're really sorry?" Lori asked gently with a little smile on her face. Lincoln opened his eyes, sniffled, and nodded. "We love you so much, Lincoln, and we mean it," said Lori. "Let's have another group hug, guys." Lori got on her knees and joined everyone else in giving Lincoln a big hug. "You are literally right – we shouldn't have been so insensitive to you – or Bobby for that matter." Tears started streaming like a waterfall down Lori's face. " _I treated both you and him literally like garbage!_ _**I am so, so sorry!**_ " Lori let go of the group hug, got on the floor, and continued sobbing loudly and uncontrollably into her hands.

"Lori, it's okay," choked Lincoln. "I forgive you guys now." Lincoln walked over and bent down to hug Lori, who reciprocated his hug as she continued crying. The others walked over and gave Lori another group hug.

Five minutes later, Lincoln, Lori, Luna, and Lynn were sitting on the bed closest to the door, while Leni, Luan, and Lana were sitting on the other bed.

"I'm really sorry for yelling at you guys," Lincoln said – hanging his head down.

"You had every right to," Lori said. "We were being unfair to you and Bobby."

"And we're sorry that we acted all grossed out when we saw your acne," Luna said. "We were just in shock. We didn't mean to make you feel so bad – especially since you couldn't help it and were desperately trying to get out of this vacation."

"Yeah. We, like, totes wouldn't have made you go if we knew that you had bad acne and couldn't help it or hide it. _**We're NOT heartless**_ ," Leni said.

"I appreciate that," Lincoln said, "but what about all those mean things you guys said about Bobby?"

"Please don't take this the wrong way," Lori started. "You probably know this better than any of us, but acne _IS_ …well…"

"Disgusting? Gross?" Lincoln offered.

"Yeah," Lori sighed. "We'd be lying if we said otherwise. But that still doesn't mean that we should have been so mean. We just assumed that Bobby had bad acne because he was filthy, but he isn't. We treated him and you terribly for something neither of you can control. We should have been more sympathetic, and we're sorry."

"Yeah, and I'm not a sob," Leni added.

"That's 'snob,' Leni," Lori corrected.

"Right, right," Leni said. "I'm not a snob." She then sighed stared sadly at the floor. "No…I totes am. I can't believe I was so vain…" she said. "I freaked out whenever I got little pimples on my face, and I was obsessive about my pores. I was insensitive to people who had much worse acne. I thought they were all just slobs when they're not. I feel terrible."

"I guess I can't blame you too much, Leni," Lincoln said. "I myself never thought about acne until the past several months, so when you have decent skin, I guess it is pretty easy to not realize that bad acne can happen to anyone." He sighed. "I'm sorry for calling you a snob. You're not a snob. You're a really great sister."

"Thanks, Linky," Leni said with a smile.

Lincoln sighed and said, "I think I overreacted myself. I mean, I understand why you guys would scream at me like that after seeing my acne for the first time. That's all you really did to me knowingly, at least. The rest of it – forcing me to go on the vacation and so on – you just didn't know any better. Still, a lot of the pain I went though was because of how you were treating Bobby, which was making me feel bad. It may have unintentionally been hurting me, but it upset me because I had even worse acne than Bobby, so it was like you were insulting me. I thought you guys would react the same way, and you did to some extent – until I went on my rant."

"I guess you having acne is what it took for us to realize that we shouldn't have been insensitive," Luan said.

"Still, we weren't entirely unsympathetic to you, Lincoln," Lynn said. "We were all worried about you since you'd been acting so weird. We invited Clyde along, and I tried to make you take the water slide because I thought it would help you."

"Thanks, Lynn. I really appreciate that," Lincoln said with a smile – hugging Lynn. "Like I said, I do think that even I overreacted."

"Lincoln, there's something that I should tell you," Lori said abruptly. Lincoln looked at her in uncertainty. Lori sighed and said, "When I was younger…I had an acne problem."

Lincoln was stunned, and his eyes popped open. " _ **You**_ _ **?**_ _Really?_ " gasped Lincoln.

Lori nodded. "I had an 'awkward stage' when I had glasses, braces, a unibrow, and acne. My acne wasn't as bad as yours, no offense, and mine was on my face, but it made me feel extremely self-conscious. I felt so ugly and gross. Some people at school even bullied me for my appearance, and there were some days that I would come home and cry my eyes out."

"Yeah, I remember that," added Leni. "You might have been too young to remember, Linky, but it was so sad…"

"Anyway, I eventually got rid of my glasses, braces, and unibrow – while my acne went away after I started using a special cleanser. I never had a serious problem with acne after that, so at least as far as I'm concerned, that probably made me think that only filthy people got bad acne. And the more I think about it, the more I think that I treated Bobby so harshly because I didn't want to be reminded of how ugly and gross I felt in my awkward stage. I guess I just wanted to take my frustration and bad memories out on him." Lori became teary-eyed and started sobbing into her hands. " _ **I feel so horrible!**_ " she squealed. " _ **I turned into my own worst enemy!**_ _ **Bobby must be devastated!**_ " Lincoln, Luna, and Lynn pat Lori on the back.

"There, there, dude," Luna said. "We all messed up. Once we get back home, we can make it all up to Bobby."

Lori took a deep breath and nodded. She then rubbed her eyes. "I hope so. In the meantime, let's go join the rest of our family at AQUAverse," Lori said in a happier tone – getting off the bed. She then frowned upon seeing that Lincoln's pupils shrank in fear at that suggestion. "Don't worry, Lincoln – you don't have to come," Lori said with a smile.

"I don't mind going," Lincoln said. "I don't want to be alone here in the motel. I really wanted to go to AQUAverse and have fun with you guys all along. That's another thing that made this situation so miserable. So yeah, I'd like to join you guys, but all I've got is my beach towel, and I don't want anyone to see my acne – or harass me for it."

"Don't worry, Lincoln. We left your sweater on The Orbiter, but we'll go get it. For now, just keep your towel on, and we'll protect you," Lori said.

"Yeah, and if anyone bullies you for your acne, don't worry – we've got your _BACK!_ " laughed Luan – only to stop when met with glares from her other sisters in the room. "Sorry," Luan said sheepishly. "Maybe that joke was in bad taste."

"It's okay, Luan," Lincoln said with a little smile. "I guess it was kind of funny." Luan smiled at that.

" _Come on, dudes, let's go to AQUAverse!_ " Luna said excitedly.

" _ **All right!**_ " Lynn exclaimed. She looked at Lincoln with a smile and said, "Come on, buddy!" With that, Lincoln and six of his sisters left the motel room – closing the door behind them – and walked back toward the gate of AQUAverse.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lincoln, and Lana passed through the gate of AQUAverse. As they walked through the park, they noticed a few people staring at Lincoln. At last, they returned to the entrance of The Orbiter, and standing nearby were Lucy, Lola, Lisa, Lily, and Clyde. Most of them looked at each other and at Lincoln with uncertainty before Clyde stepped forward.

"Hey, buddy. Are you okay?" Clyde asked in concern.

"I am now," Lincoln said.

"We just had a talk with Lincoln. It's a long story, but if Lincoln doesn't mind, we should probably tell them what we talked about," Lori said. Lincoln nodded, and with that, Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lana, and he told the others what they talked about in the motel room. By the time they had finished telling their "story," Lucy, Lisa, Lily, and Clyde stared at the group with their mouths wide open.

"Wow, big brother. You've been through so much more suffering than I ever dared imagined, and I was partly to blame," Lucy said. "Forgive me."

"Yeah, buddy, I'm really sorry that I freaked out like that up there on the ride," Clyde said. "That explains why you've been acting so weird lately – no offense."

"Poo poo!" Lily giggled.

"Yes, dear brother, we all should have been more tactful upon realizing that you had severe cystic acne," Lisa said. "We also should have been more sensitive to Bobby's similar predicament. Although I was uninvolved in Lori's squabble with Bobby, I as a scientist should have explained to certain siblings that acne is not necessarily caused by poor hygiene, and thus, Bobby was treated unjustly. I am ashamed that I did not challenge such an ignorant view."

With that, Lucy, Lisa, Lily, and Clyde walked over to Lincoln and hugged or pat him on the back. "Thanks, guys," Lincoln said.

The Louds and Clyde then turned their attention to Lola, who had said nothing. She scowled, looked away, and said, "I don't care what you guys say. _Lincoln is_ _ **GROSS**_. _Bobby is_ _ **GROSS**_. It's their own fault they have bacne by being filthy and nasty! I have nothing to apologize for!" She closed her eyes and stuck her nose in the air.

Immediately, the other Louds and Clyde shouted angrily at Lola's lack of sensitivity.

" _ **They can't help it, dude!**_ " Luna barked.

" _ **Apologize right now!**_ " Leni demanded.

" _ **How would**_ _ **YOU**_ _ **feel if you had that kind of acne?**_ " challenged Lana.

Lola laughed her head off. "Lola Loud will _**NEVER**_ get acne. I will say it again – _**I apologize for NOTHING!**_ "

" _ **Forget you!**_ " Lana snapped. "Come on, Lincoln, let's go get your sweater." She then climbed up the steps for The Orbiter.

" _ **Way harsh, dude…!**_ " grumbled Luna to Lola as she followed.

"Come on, Lincoln, don't listen to her," Lori said – guiding him up the steps.

" _ **Better watch your step, Princess!**_ " Lynn yelled – who then stomped on Lola's foot – causing her to yelp.

"Like, not cool, Lola," Leni said.

The other Louds and Clyde went up the steps to The Orbiter – glaring at Lola as they passed her by. After a lengthy climb up the steps, the Louds and Clyde reached the top – where they encountered the ride attendant from before. Also on the platform was Lincoln's orange turtleneck sweater and gray fingerless gloves.

"My sweater and gloves!" cried Lincoln happily. "Guys, do you mind closing your eyes for a sec?" Lincoln asked.

"Sure thing, buddy!" Clyde replied happily. Lincoln's sisters also obliged in closing their eyes. Lincoln dropped his beach towel and quickly put on his sweater and gloves.

"Okay, guys, I'm good," Lincoln said. His sisters and Clyde opened their eyes. "Now, let's do what we all came here for – _**FUN AT AQUAVERSE!**_ " yelled Lincoln. The others cheered as Lincoln grabbed his beach towel and hopped onto a gray doughnut-shaped float – shivering as he briefly submerged into the freezing water. He then thrust himself down the slide and screamed his head off in delight.

" _ **Kid, get back here! No sweaters are allowed!**_ " the ride attendant called after Lincoln. However, the other Louds and Clyde chattered as they got onto doughnut-shaped floats and followed Lincoln. They all screamed in delight as they zipped down the ride – feeling helpless and weightless along the way as they were thrashed around several times – even going upside down. Lincoln and the others felt really jittery as they were propelled upward – over twenty feet in the air. When they looked down and realized how high above the pool they were, they regretted going on The Orbiter. They screamed as they hurdled toward the pool.

" _ **CANNONBALL!**_ " shouted Lincoln – curling up tightly into a ball while still grabbing onto the sides of his float. As the Louds and Clyde entered the pool, they made multiple enormous splashes – causing others in the pool to scream. When the Louds and Clyde floated to the surface of the pool, they cheered happily – while the other parkgoers were annoyed that they had experienced several large splashes.

The Louds and Clyde spent the rest of the afternoon at AQUAverse – having the time of their lives. They enjoyed themselves at the artificial beach, flowriders, splash pads, water slides, and Olympic-size pools. Eventually, after several hours, they met up with Lynn Sr. and Rita.

"So, did you guys have fun today?" Rita asked. The Louds and Clyde chattered in agreement. "That's great!"

"Well, gang, I guess it's time to head back to the motel. We can have some more fun here, tomorrow," Lynn Sr. said. The Louds and Clyde chattered in agreement and started walking tiredly back to the motel. As they did so, Lynn Sr. and Rita walked alongside Lincoln. "Say, Lincoln, I thought you were going to stay in the motel," Lynn Sr. said.

"I was, but Lynn, uh, 'encouraged' me to go to the park, and I ended up revealing my acne to the others. Thankfully, they still accept me despite my acne," Lincoln said – leaving out the fact that Lola was still hostile toward him.

"Well, that's great, honey! But you shouldn't be so surprised – they're your sisters – they'll love you no matter what," Rita said.

"Yeah, I realized that," Lincoln said. "And I'm glad that I was still able to have fun in the pool despite wearing my sweater…which is now sopping wet. I guess a sweater's probably not the best swimwear." Lynn Sr., Rita, and Lincoln laughed as they passed through one of the turnstiles at the park gate.

* * *

The next day, the Louds and Clyde spent a full day at AQUAverse – repeating what they had done before. Lincoln continued wearing his sweater – even though it was technically against the rules of many of the rides and attractions – and even though the attendants harassed him for it. At the end of the day, the Louds and Clyde went back to the motel to spend another night.

The day after that, after packing up and checking out of the motel, the Louds and Clyde piled into Vanzilla and headed back home. On the way home, the Louds and Clyde made an impromptu stop at a nature reserve – where they spent a few hours enjoying the trees and wildlife. Once back on the road, the Louds and Clyde talked about various things – including, obviously, their vacation. The subject of acne came up, and the Louds and Clyde suggested to Lincoln different acne treatments. They also discussed Lincoln's dermatology appointments and his attempts to cure his own acne, which they found both funny and sad – although Lori was a little mad that Lincoln had used some of her makeup without asking.

Also, Lori called Bobby on the way back – apologizing for how she treated him. She put some of her other siblings on the phone, too, who also apologized. Bobby was upset when Lori called him, but he was clearly happy after Lori called him to apologize. Lori reluctantly asked Bobby if they could be a couple again, and she squealed in delight when he agreed. She then sobbed when she realized that she had deleted all her old photos, videos, and texts from Bobby. However, Bobby reassured Lori by telling her that he had copies of most of those things on his own phone and computer, and Lori sighed in relief. Bobby also said that they could create new memories together, which made Lori happy. She spent "literally" the remainder of the drive home talking to Bobby on her phone. Bobby even talked with Lincoln some of the time after learning that Lincoln had acne, and they were both glad that they had someone with whom they could relate when it came to acne.

Eventually, just before dusk, Vanzilla arrived back home. The Louds dropped off Clyde at his house – and then returned to their own house. They sighed and groaned as they unloaded the van – but were all happy afterwards when they could finally unwind and go to sleep.

"Good night, Bobby Boo-Boo Bear…" cooed Lori, who was still talking on her phone. "I love you…!"

"Good night, babe – I love you, too!" Bobby replied happily. "I'll see you tomorrow at Dana's Fourth of July party!"

" _ **It's a date!**_ " Lori said with a smile as she turned off her phone.

Lincoln went to his room and happily curled up in bed – snuggling with Bun-Bun. He smiled as he went to sleep – and ended up getting the best night's sleep in the Loud House in over a month. He was so happy that his sisters accepted him despite his acne – and was also glad that Lori and Bobby had made amends. Lincoln was glad to have such a loving, caring family.

Over the course of the month, the Louds lived their lives as they normally did during summer. They all engaged in their hobbies like TV, phones, fashion, music, comedy, sports, darkness, mud, pageants, science, and many other things. Despite the summer heat, Lincoln continued wearing his sweater and gloves to hide his acne. Also, Clyde and he spent a lot of time together watching _ARGGH!_ , riding bikes, going to the arcade, and reading Ace Savvy comics. Perhaps what was most noteworthy was one day in late July when Lisa shouted, " _ **EUREKA!**_ " from her room. Two other people loudly cheered within the room.

Lisa's sisters gathered around her bedroom door to see what she was so happy about. Seconds later, Lincoln and Bobby walked out with huge smiles on their faces. " _ **Lisa made a formula to cure our acne!**_ " Lincoln cried happily – taking off his gloves and rolling up his sleeves to show his clear skin. His sisters chattered happily.

"Oh, Linky, that's wonderful!" exclaimed Leni.

"That's totally rad, Lincoln!" Lynn said happily.

"What do you think, babe?" Bobby said to Lori. "My acne is finally all gone!"

"That's wonderful, Boo-Boo Bear…" cooed Lori.

" _ **Thank you so much, Lisa!**_ " Bobby said happily.

"No problem at all," Lisa said with a smile.

"Thank goodness I won't have to wear turtlenecks and gloves anymore!" Lincoln said happily.

Suddenly, the Louds and Bobby were startled by an ear-piercing shriek coming from the bathroom. They turned their attention to the bathroom door, where Lola walked out – shivering and crying. " _I have_ _ **PIMPLES**_ _on my face!_ " she screamed. She then looked at Lincoln with tears in her eyes. "You were right, Lincoln. I'm so sorry that I was so mean to you and Bobby."

"Apology accepted!" Bobby said happily. Lincoln nodded in agreement.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'd like some of Lisa's formula," Lola said – walking toward Lisa's door.

With that, Lola went into Lisa's room and ingested the green, liquid formula for curing acne. Within minutes, Lola's face had returned to normal. To celebrate everything being back to normal, the Louds, Bobby, and Clyde had a party at the Loud House the next evening. Luna played some of Lincoln's and Bobby's favorite songs, and Luan performed a comedy routine. Pizza, cake, and ice cream were served, and the Louds had all their friends over – including Clyde, Bobby, Ronnie Anne, and several others. They all enjoyed the music, comedy, and food – as well as each other's company. By the time the party was over, everyone felt that it had been a really great one.

At the end of the day, everyone felt happy – especially Lincoln and Bobby. The two were very happy that their friends and family accepted them for their acne – and that Lisa had ultimately cured their acne. As he went to sleep in his bed that night, Lincoln looked at Bun-Bun and said, "I'm so glad that I have such wonderful friends and family. We might not always get along, but deep down, we all care about each other, and that's all that really matters. Good night, Bun-Bun." Lincoln hugged Bun-Bun and smiled as he drifted off to sleep happily.

 **The End**


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